Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today branded the family of BNP founder late president Ziaur Rahman as “a killer family”. “As Zia was involved with the killing of Bangabandhu on August 15, 1975, the then prime minister (Khaleda Zia), her son (Tarique Rahman), her cabinet members and Jamaat leaders were directly involved with the August 21 grenade attacks,” she said. “There is no question in this regard.” “There will be no space for this killer family on the soil of the country and we have to protect the people from the killer family,” said Hasina while addressing a rally on Bangabandhu Avenue marking the 10th anniversary of the grisly grenade attacks that killed 24 Awami League leaders and activists and injured over 300 others. The premier said the grenade attacks were carried out at her party’s anti-terrorism rally in 2004.

“The rally was arranged against terrorism but at that rally we came under attack by terrorists,” said Hasina, who was then the Leader of the Opposition. The premier accused the law enforcement agencies of their mysterious role saying instead of protecting the injured leaders and activists of the party they charged batons and used teargas against the victims. “Those who did not want the country’s independence and wanted to make Bangladesh a province of Pakistan are still hatching conspiracies,” Hasina alleged and called upon the people to remain alert about the plots.

Prior to addressing the rally, the prime minister placed a wreath at the temporary memorial of the deceased on Bangabandhu Avenue. The party observed one-minute silence in memory of the killed leaders and activists at 5:22pm, the time when the first grenade went off in 2004.